More than 60,000 Escape Sudanese City After Capture by RSF Militia, UN Reports

Displaced people escaping violence in Sudan
Numerous seek to get to the settlement of Tawila but experience intimidation, demands for money and mistreatment from fighters along the way

Per the United Nations refugee organization, over 60,000 people have escaped the city in Sudan of el-Fasher, which was seized by the militia RSF during the weekend.

Accounts suggest summary killings and human rights violations as militia members entered the city following an 18-month encirclement marked by famine and sustained attacks.

The exodus of those escaping the conflict towards the town of Tawila, roughly 80km (50 miles) to the west of el-Fasher, had grown in the recent days, according to United Nations refugee agency representative.

Survivors were telling terrible accounts of violence, such as rape, and the humanitarian group was having trouble to secure adequate shelter and nourishment for them.

Each child was affected by undernourishment, she added.

Calculations indicate that in excess of 150,000 individuals are currently stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the military's final stronghold in the western region of Darfur.

The RSF has denied broad accusations that the killings in el-Fasher are ethnically motivated and mirror a pattern of the Arab paramilitaries attacking non-Arab communities.

Yet the RSF has arrested one of its members, Abu Lulu, who has been charged with extrajudicial killings.

The group distributed recordings revealing the fighter's arrest following verification that he was responsible for the execution of several civilians in the vicinity of el-Fasher.

Video sharing service has verified that it has suspended the account linked to Lulu. Uncertainty exists whether he had operated the account in his name.

Sudan was entered a internal conflict in April 2023 after a intense struggle for power erupted between its army and the Rapid Support Forces.

The conflict has resulted in a food crisis and accusations of ethnic cleansing in the western Sudan.

Over 150,000 people have died in the fighting across the country, and approximately 12 million have abandoned their residences in what the UN has termed the most extensive humanitarian crisis.

The takeover of el-Fasher strengthens the territorial division in the country, with the RSF now in dominance of Sudan's west and much of neighbouring Kordofan to the south, and the military holding the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern regions along the Red Sea.

The two warring rivals had been allies - gaining control together in a takeover in 2021 - but split over an globally supported initiative to advance to civilian leadership.

John Archer
John Archer

A passionate MapleStory veteran with over a decade of experience, specializing in class optimization and end-game content strategies.